Charges stayed against adult in Vancouver Island cat torture case

Charges have been stayed against Joshua Michael Lemire, 20, a Duncan man accused of taking part in the torture of a cat in November, 2017, then sharing the photos and video of the incident with the animal’s owner on Snapchat.

The BC Prosecution Service said that the charges against the two teenagers involved in the case are proceeding.

The BCPS stated that the decision to stay the charges against Lemire was made after further information was received by the prosecutor, and the prosecutor concluded the charge approval standard could not be met.

Lemire had been charged with one count of causing unnecessary pain/suffering to an animal.

The two teenagers, a 16-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy who can’t be identified due to their age, are being charged with one count of causing an animal to suffer in the incident.

The one-year-old family cat, named Gigi, was drugged, shaved and tossed out a window by a group that included Lemire.